We wake to a lovely warm day. Perfect for the exploring we will be doing, except on top of Mt. Nemrut the wind is howling depending on which side you are on. It’s a steep drive but an easy drive for any vehicle 2 or 4wd. When we arrive at the top we parked and were told we must take a bus to the very top, but after a quick chat after buying tickets and seeing we are in the wagon they let me drive myself up. Which is always nice.
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- The size of a brick…
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- The chairs they once sat in before being destroyed
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- The heads are almost 3m high
Once on the mountain we see the stunning statues left behind from over 3000 years, a mix of gods from the east and west. Worth the walk for sure. And the view is stunning. We spend an easy 2 hours up top walking around and snapping photos. On the way back down I have a course to attend so we order breakfast and settle in for a solid 2 hours. But the people running the info center are very friendly, and we enjoy tea the whole time. The offer for us to stay to camp, but seeing as the wind is blowing 50kmh I figure it may not suit us.
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- View from the mountain
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- Brekky
Headed back down the mountain we stop at Arsameia which is an old tunnel that used to lead to a church, we climb down about 75m but are met with a collapse which is 50 meters from the end where a church used to be. Either way very cool and always worth the effort to climb down, specially since its 40c outside and only 20 inside.
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- Outside the tunnel
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- Apparently the largest section of writing in Turkey
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- And down we go!
Our route towards Malatya takes us through some stunning mountains where I notice the slight smell of diesel, injector line 1 has had enough, it’s a very slow drip, but something that will require fixing. We still find time to stop by the river for a quick soak to cool down. Arriving in Malatya we head out for a beer and on route home we find that the local vendors are in full force for Kebab… and the smell, literally impossible to avoid. We finish the night with some top notch food.
